A group called United for Care has drafted a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would make it legal. For months, volunteers and workers have circulated petitions. They gathered 1 million signatures and yesterday announced that they essentially got the thumbs-up from the Florida Division of Elections to move forward, as the agency has verified that the necessary 683,149 signatures are legit and the measure can appear on the ballot.
Assuming that the Division of Elections issues a formal certification February 2, the measure, called “Use of Marijuana for Debilitating Conditions," will appear on the ballot as Amendment 2.
“Compassion is coming,” United for Care Chairman John B. Morgan said in a statement. “This November, Florida will pass this law and hundreds of thousands of sick and suffering people will see relief. What Tallahassee politicians refused to do, the people will do together in this election.”
Twenty-three other states have already legalized medical marijuana. A similar measure was on the ballot in Florida 2014 but faced challenges and earned just 58 percent of the vote — shy of the 60 percent it needed to pass. Pollara pointed out that his group had an easier
As his group explained in a statement:
To be placed on the ballot, a constitutional amendment requires the signatures of 683,149 registered Florida voters as well as signatures representing 8% of the 2012 electorate in at least half of Florida’s 27 congressional districts. At the time of release, the Division of Elections was reporting that 692,981 total signatures and 14 congressional districts had qualified. In addition to the signature requirement, the Florida Supreme Court must opine on the constitutionality of the amendment language, which they did unanimously in a December opinion. A constitutional amendment requires a 60% vote in support to pass. The previous medical marijuana amendment, on the November 2014 ballot, received 58%, falling just short of passage.
